The Reveal
by Azure Lightning Emerald Cloud
Summary: Kara has revealed her alter ego to her best friend, Lena Luthor. This is the aftermath, and it's not as pretty as anybody had hoped. I don't own or profit from any Supergirl IP. Some angst with a happy ending. A nice side of Sanvers as well.
1. Rabbit Jumps From Hat

The Reveal

Part I: Rabbit Jumps From Hat

Alex Danvers hadn't heard from Kara in ten hours and twenty-seven minutes. For context, the last time Alex hadn't received so much as an emoji text from her wayward sister, her system was hacked by Red Kryptonite. And Blood Rage Kara would have murdered Alex with heat vision if J'onn hadn't tackled the Blood-raging Kryptonian out of her murdery posture. So Alex could be excused for being a bit anxious with the radio silence.

What Maggie Sawyer wasn't willing to excuse Alex for, was nearly setting fire to her apartment because she 'forgot I was making you breakfast babe, I'm really sorry.' Maggie fixed her girlfriend, sorry, fiancée, with a stare that soiled the panties of weaker women before setting up the step stool and waving a dish towel around the smoke detector in an attempt to stop the blaring klaxon. After a painful thirteen seconds, the Detective succeeded, and then returned the stepping stool to its home adjacent the washing machine. She then walked over to the taller woman with dark red hair and smiled softly while taking her hand. "Alex, I'm sure she's alright, she might just need a day or two to herself."

Alex shot Maggie a mildly accusatory glare. "What do you mean?"

Maggie sighed as she gently extricated her hand from Alex, and walked over to the answer machine and clicked the play button.

After the machine declared there was one saved message, Kara's voice filled the room; or rather, her heavy breathing. Alex's face tightened into hard lines. Kara had clearly been crying long before she gathered her strength enough to call her elder sister. "...[sob]…hey Alex…" Kara stopped for a moment, so Alex turned back to Maggie, fear colouring her expression. Maggie however, just put up her hands in a 'hey, it's ok' type gesture. Kara regained her composure, and the answering machine lit up with her voice again, "…I uh, did something today. Something you and J'onn, and James, and Winn, and, and well everyone, told me not to do. And before I tell you what I did, I want you to know that the only part of me hurt here are my own fucking feeling." Alex's jaw dropped. Kara _never_ used uncouth language. Like, not even when she impaled a mountain that one time she was learning to fly. Maggie quickly retook Alex's hand; the Detective thought it was good idea given what she knew was coming and Alex needed, well, something to lean on.

Kara continued, "I want you to know that I did what I did because I was right about her. And even though we're not in a good place right now, I 'm still right. She's _Good._ Hell, unlike you or I, she's never even murdered someone. Not that that's a great metric for 'good' or 'evil', but, yeah." Kara was rambling a little, but Alex was happy that Kara was wandering back into familiar waters at any rate.

Alex whipped her head away from the answering machine and mouthed at her fiancée, "She _didn't_!" Maggie just waved her hand, disregarding Alex's outburst and pointed back to the answering machine.

Kara regained her breath after a few hiccups, "So yeah, I told _the best friend I've EVER had_ that I spend my evenings caping." She gave a small mirthless laugh, "I phrased it like that too, 'caping'. Lena took a minute to get it. I took off my glasses and she just…" Kara let out a long breath, clearly needing it.

But before she could continue the answering machine beeped. 'End of message,' it intoned.

Alex turned to look at Maggie again, and Maggie put both arms lightly on Alex's unsheathed biceps. "Alex, I've listened to this message she left multiple times. She's alright, she's just hurting." Alex huffed, but before she could begin her barrage of vitriol directed at Lena Luthor, Maggie stood on the tips of her toes and literally swallowed Alex's words.

Alex started at the sudden intimate contact, but Maggie delicately positioned her hand at the nape of Alex's neck. Maggie wasn't holding her there, but the lightest pressure was enough to keep Alex in the kiss. After certain amount of minutes, Maggie broke the kiss. Her feet were beginning to get sore standing at her zenith like that. "Have you calmed down a little bit?" Maggie beseeched.

Alex took a moment for the euphoria of _Maggie_ to evacuate her thoughts before replying, "Just a little."

Maggie chuckled, "Good." For Alex to even admit 'just a little', Maggie was more successful than she had hoped for. "Let's get something clear right now. You are under no circumstances going to barge into Lena's office, or confront her at all. You will not have Winn try to breach her firewall. You will make no moves against her. I want your promise, Alexandra."

Alex's mouth opened in rebuttal but Maggie's use of 'Alexandra' closed it right up. Maggie almost never used Alex's full name. Like only once, and that was during sex, and it was a _mistake_.

Maggie waited for a moment before Alex pursed her lips and said, "I wasn't going t–,"

"Bullshit." Maggie cut her off, lazily.

"Fine." Alex conceded. "I won't go after Luthor, happy?" Alex huffed, knowing that she'd lose this fight with Maggie. Protecting people was her job after all even Luthors, whereas Alex's job was much more Black Ops; and shooting people.

"Your sister is hurting, of course I'm not, dummy," Maggie conceded as she cheekily bumped into Alex's shoulder. "You should probably find Kara though, were does she go when she's really sad?" Maggie queried.

Alex tossed her head back for a moment, so that she was looking at the ceiling. "I don't know if I've ever seen her _sad_ like _this_ before. Like, she mourned her culture and family by flying into the ocean and basically screaming and letting lose with her heat vision. But she killed a baby dolphin once, so she stopped doing that. _That_ was a whole different kind of few weeks of guilt and –," Alex realised she had figured something out. "When she felt guilty for biscecitng that dolphin," Maggie shivered, "she cleaned out Midvale's ice cream shop when she felt guilty. My parents had to make them sign NDA's about some made up experimental drug of some sort to keep them quiet."

Maggie nodded, "I think you know how to find her then." Maggie considered for a moment. She wasn't considering her intended action, but whether or not to tell Alex. It took less than a moment for her to decide. "I'm going to have a nice, calm, and probably alcohol fuelled conversation with Lena." Maggie decided decisively.

Alex raised her hands in a 'what the fuck?' movement, but Maggie elaborated, "I'm not goint to attack her, I'm going to find out more about the situation and hopefully offer a new perspective for her to consider. You've got to admit that if I was lying to you for months about something half as significant as what Kara was hiding from Lena, you'd be well, hurt." Maggie finished softly.

Alex considered a response, and said, "But Lena and Kara _aren't like us_."

Maggie tilted her head to the side and gave Alex that very familiar and knowing smile, "Not yet. Trust me on this one." Before Alex could muster a response, Maggie danced away from the counter and went into their room. She emerged sporting her (and Alex's, but for a different reason) favourite leather jacket, and carrying Alex's (and Maggie's, but for different reasons) favourite leather jacket.

Maggie made it to the door first, since her boots were less, well, hardcore than Alex's. With her hand on the latch, and knowing she'd pay for this later, she exclaimed, "Let's go herd some pussies!"


	2. Drinks From the Cup of Sorrow

Part II: Drinks from the Cup of Sorrow

She hadn't left her office the night before. It was just before 10:23 am, and Lena Luthor had broken down twice today. What the fuck. This was not normal for most people, let alone a Luthor for crying out loud.

So she didn't react all that well when Kara revealed herself as National City's hero. Lena was confused at the emotional response she had, when the logical thing to do was accept her and give her a nice hug. And maybe something more.

Intellectually, Lena _knew_ she should be ok with it. After all, even though she never admitted it, she had fallen for _both_ blondes. And that was a part of the problem. The guilt of not being able to choose between them had eaten away at her for _months_ , and it wasn't like Kara was completely oblivious. She fucking fuelled that inner conflict.

Lena's twisted loyalty between the two separate entities had poisoned her friendships with the both of them; leaving her unable to be totally genuine with either one, owing to the feelings she kept in her heart for the other. _Logically,_ there was no question of what she _should_ be doing: picking up the damn phone and calling Super– _Kara Danvers_ and saying sorry. Saying that she accepted her being Supergirl, and that she wanted a long talk over pot stickers.

But it wasn't that easy. Because she had trusted Kara with _everything_! Her insecurities about being the weak link in a family of geniuses. Lillian's _years_ of abuse. The fact that Lionel was the closest thing she'd ever had to a father, and that she was the only one by his bedside as she had to watch him fade away into death. That Lex never forgave her for that, not really. And so many other horrors and joys during her short life she'd never shared with _anyone_ before.

As Lena mentally catalogued the secrets she'd shared with Kara, she relived each one of them, which led to more uncontrolled tears. It was a Saturday, and she had ordered everyone home, so at least there wasn't anyone to see her like this. The only one who had ever seen her like this in recent memory was _Kara_. Funnily, that small realization didn't help her regain control at all.

And Kara hadn't told her the most basic thing: who she was. Not even her _real name_. It soured every smile, every brunch, every _touch_ they'd ever shared. Because through it all, Kara was lying to her. In every second of their time, Kara lived the _lie_ that had now torn them asunder.

And every time Lena tried to cheer herself up, she was faced with another moment spent with Kara. Because that's where she felt safe.

In Supergirl's arms. In Kara's hugs. Looking into those loving blue-green eyes. And now every attempt to inwardly steady her mind with a beautiful memory was tainted with lies. And now there was nothing to prevent the whispers of inward rage, self-hatred, and guilt from tearing her apart. Kara wasn't there to protect her anymore, not even the phantasm of Kara inside Lena's own mind.

In the midst of this flare up of emotion, all Lena could do was try not to think about Lionel's antique revolver she kept in the safe on the other side of the room. How soon this emotional _horror_ could just…end.

"Hey there, little Lutho– Lena." a familiar voice spoke softly from her office entrance. "We need to talk."


	3. Sisters Speak of Heart

Part III: Sisters Speak of Heart

"We need to talk."

There was no response, so Alex pounded on the door. "Kara, I swear to your god and mine, if you don't let me in to talk to you, we're gonna go door shopping this weekend."

Kara mumble-yelled something from the other side. Alex thought it sounded like, "You're an atheist!" Well, she wasn't wrong, Alex shrugged.

"Kara!" Alex called once more. The DEO agent strained her ears, and was rewarded with a promising pattern of muffled thumps getting louder.

Kara opened the door to her apartment. It was a mess. Alex couldn't suppress a gasp when she took in the appearance of her sister. Kara Zor El had never, not even during her worst moments of grieving Krypton, looked as _crushed_ as she did now. Her eyes were puffy, there were very clear dried tear tracks running down her cheeks, but also out of the corner of her eyes towards her temple and ears. Apparently lying down didn't stem their flow. Kara was wearing the same thing she had been Friday morning, and she hadn't even taken her dirty socks off, let alone bathed. Even her hair was dishevelled, and seemed somehow put out. It didn't have its usual vibrancy, it just hung there, limply off her shoulders, rather than cascading over her shoulders like usual.

Kara stepped aside resignedly to let her sister into the apartment. Other than the general mess, Alex noted the empty gallon buckets of ice cream furnishing every raised flat surface. The counters, the coffee tables, and all but one of the sitting stools played host to an ice cream bucket.

 _Jesus Christ this is bad,_ Alex thought unashamedly. Kara sloughed down onto the couch and didn't move. Alex took a moment to steel herself for the doubtlessly life-changing talk they were about to have.

"Are you here to insult Lena?" Kara asked in a broken sort of way. "Cause if you are, then you can just leave. I'm just not able to handle that today."

Alex had the grace to look down in shame. "I…I won't insult her. But I want to know what happened after you revealed Supergirl as Kara Danvers."

Kara flinched. And Alex's eyebrows came together in a frown, but she held her tongue. "Lena was well, taken by surprise." Kara started slowly. "I thought that…I mean, she gave so many hints that she knew something. I thought she already knew. But I was wrong. I was so wrong. She started to…," Kara's voice was shaking from her effort in holding back her sobs. Alex took a few steps forward and guided Kara to the couch.

Alex didn't say anything. Even though she wanted to beat the hell out of Luthor right now for putting Kara in this state of brokenness. But then again, wasn't Kara in the same state of mind about Maggie all those months ago when she had her 'I feel so humiliated' breakdown? Alex lightly shook her head to dispel that awful night. But Kara was so lost in the moment with Lena, Alex's lapse of concentration went completely unnoticed.

Kara gestured wildly, desperately as she continued, "She started crying Alex, she just….She just got so small, you know? Like she _shrunk away from me_." Kara sounded halfway disbelieving, halfway horrified at what she inflicted on Lena. "Alex, she looked so _betrayed._ And she's right! I betrayed her trust. So that the DEO could rest easy. So you could rest easy, and James and Winn, hell, even Eliza. I let you all convince me to lie for months to _my best friend_!" Anger had temporarily gained dominance over sorrow, but Sorrow wasn't done yet.

"She just looked up at me from her couch, and said, 'You're just like Lex.'" Alex flinched at Kara's unconscious impersonation of the youngest Luthor.

"Kara, you're nothing like Lex Luthor." Alex declared softly, rubbing one of Kara's shoulders. "Your heart is so big, where in the end he cut off everyone who loved him. You. Are. Not. Like. Him." Alex enunciated each word with utmost care.

Kara gave a humourless chuckle, "Maybe not in the way you're thinking. But Lena didn't mean it like that. She meant was that I loved her, and still was able to hide my true self away. And she's right….she's right," Kara repeated softly. Her sobbing was over, to Alex's relief. But she wasn't sure she was a fan of inwardly contemplative Kara either. "There something that everyone's been missing. Everyone but Lillian, ironically enough," Kara spat out.

Alex was a little worried where this was going, but not enough to pull away from her agonized sister. "What was that?" Alex asked tenderly.

Kara looked up and made sure Alex held her fierce gaze. "Lena is the best of us. She grew up in a family of _monsters_ , and she still believes in making the world a better place. Not for herself, no. That's where she and Lex ultimately diverge, cause Lex wanted to live in his new world. Lena…Lena doesn't think she deserves that. As Supergirl I thought that I could help her public image along with saving her life. As Kara Danvers I wanted to be her friend. It turns out I was the only real friend she'd had since her teenage years in Ireland." Kara took a breath.

"She believed in me, and I let her down almost as bad as her brother did." Alex looked like she was goint to say something to intervene, but Kara waved it away. "I did. And I have my reasons too. Good reasons. But the thing is, all those reasons evaporated when I saw what my lie did to her, Alex. My intentions didn't matter."

Kara tried to take a deep breath, and somehow failed, which resulted in her gasping for air. Alex ponded on her back a little, and Kara regained some of her composure, the most composure Alex had seen from her today. Kara seemed to wrestle with something, but inwardly reached a decision very quickly.

"Alex, I love her. Like, I'm _in love_ with her. And I don't even know if I can salvage this friendship at the very least. I don't think I deserve to. I don't deserve her."


	4. Speak Like Shadow, Look Like Commander I

Part IV: Speak Like a Shadow, Look Like the Commander

"We need to talk," Maggie Sawyer said as she approached Lena's crumpled form on the couch with measured steps.

Lena was past being surprised when strange folk entered her office uninvited. So her reaction wasn't as surprised as it was resigned. "Are you here to arrest me again, Detective?" Lena asked softly. Her eyes flickered away from the weapon safe on the opposite wall. Her waterlogged emerald eyes rested on the beautiful Detective in front of her. She looked slightly different than before, there was a long, aggressive, violet streak running through her cascading mane of darkest black.

Maggie, for her part, was trying her best not to gasp. She was standing in front of the most powerful civilian on this side of country. But Lena Luthor was so very small, huddled into herself on the couch. Detective Sawyer could practically see the space where Kara usually occupied. Yup, there were distinct impressions in the memory foam just beside Lena. Kara wasn't going to help the little Luthor this time.

And honestly, Maggie wasn't sure _she_ was able to help Lena, but she'd give it a try. If for nothing else, She knew a little something about an identity reveal going wrong. But the tragedy of Lena's reaction to Kara 'coming out' as Supergirl was that it was completely justified, no matter how horrible and guilty Kara might feel about it.

Because Kara deserved some guilt. Maggie knew that. She may love the adorkable blond like the sister she never had, but the step of separation offered her perspective. Kara was in the wrong right now. And there was a small part of Maggie that was incensed with the Little Danvers for doing _this_ to a woman that Maggie wouldn't hesitate to admit she looks up to. She never told anybody, least of all Alex how torn up she was when she had to arrest the CEO, even if Maggie believed her guilty. Maggie was actually afraid of Kara in that moment. She played it off well, but when Lena asked Kara to stay, well, going up against a Super and a Luthor was never a fun prospect, all other factors ceased to matter. It was another thing she'd probably never admit to her fiancée, or Luthor, or Little Danvers…ever.

Lena's emotional mask was broken; at least for today. It wasn't completely gone, but it covered less than half of her emotions. There was no fear in Lena's eyes. No anger, and not a hint of humour. _Christ this is a mess,_ Maggie thought.

Maggie realized to her chagrin that Lena was genuinely asking if she was under arrest. But rather than immediately correct the Lena, the Detective decided to get some insight, "What do you think I'm here for?" Her voice wasn't harsh, but it wasn't as kind as her opener either.

Lena sat up slowly, brushing a stray tear from her cheekbone. "I don't even care. Might as well get it over with then, Detective." Her voice was also devoid of hope.


	5. Speak Like Shadow Look Like Commander II

Part V: Looking Like a Shadow, Speaking Like Commander II

Okay, that was the wrong move. _Dammit Sawyer!_ Maggie inwardly chastised herself. Before she defused the situation, she took a moment to look at the younger woman in front of her. _She's barely more than a kid._ Maggie's expression softened a little as she took a slow, deep breath. Lena's mascara was decorating her cheeks, fallen in harsh pattern from both eyes. And while it wasn't a mirror exactly, because Lena smudged her eyeliner at one point during her weeping, there was a near perfect frame of black makeup around Lena's eyes.

When it hit Maggie, why such unsettlingly verdant eyes framed in black makeup like that was achingly familiar, her breath hitched. Lena was unintentionally doing a dead on Commander Lexa cosplay. _How fucking fitting. Chief Executive Officer Lena._ "Well, Detective?" Lena asked.

Maggie stuttered, "Look, you're not under arrest, Lena. I'm…I'm here as the fiancée of Kara's sister. And without ill intent." _When did she become Lena?_ Maggie thought with a surprised flick of her eyebrows.

"oh." Lena whispered. Maggie might as well have struck her for all the effect that sentence had on the younger woman.

This was not going how Maggie had wanted it to. She briefly searched her person in search of – _ah, found it!_ "Here," Maggie said, offering a tissue. "You might want to freshen up before we go," the Detective added softly.

Lena's eyes widened fractionally, "I thought you said–,"

"Relájate, I'm not going to arrest you." Maggie said with a cheeky grin and splayed hands, like she was miming being caught in the cookie jar. "But we are going out and getting a late breakfast. Because believe it or not, I think I may have some insight into the current _disaster_ between you and Little Danvers." Maggie declared.

Lena just looked at her like she had grown a foot taller. "Excuse me?" she mustered, valiantly.

Maggie decided to cross some boundaries, because that's what sort of woman she was. She took a couple steps forward and pressed the tissue into Lena's hand. "Here. You look like Commander Lexa right now. Which is hot and all, and definitely fulfils the dark hair/light hair romantic dynamic, don't get me wrong, but I doubt it's the look you're going for. Get your shit together Lena, we're going to talk through what happened with Kara. And yes, I know. No, she didn't tell me, nor did Alex. I'm a Detective, it's my job, and it was only a matter of time before I figured it out. But right now, you are using that sink over there, and getting yourself to look presentable to people who don't appreciate Lexa as much as _our people_ do."

Lena was a little scandalized, and very much baffled by this woman. There was zero context that could've prepared her for this. It was like that one time Veronica 'Roulette' Sinclair took her for a spin in Professor Hamm's Corvette after that _utter wanker_ had made no less than two derogatory comments regarding _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ as it pertained to portrayal of women in television…they were teenagers at the time…and that professor deserved it.

Detective Sawyer didn't have any negative intent in her eyes or posture Lena surmised. _But neither did Kara,_ came unbidden to the top of her mind. So did that sentence Lena said to Kara in her moment of deepest hurt. Despite Kara's betrayal, Lena knew what she said to the blonde was unforgivable. Before she let herself linger on that horrible accusation and let it drag her back into sorrow, she pushed it down. Lena managed to make it to the modest restroom she had installed in the corner of the room when it became apparent exactly what percentage of her time in a single day she'd spend in this office.

Lena took a breath before wetting the tissue and looking up to meet her own eyes in the mirror. _Holy Christ, I do look like Lexa._


	6. Kyoto 7–7

Author's Note: Hey, for any of you on lands that are currently being ravaged by mother nature, please don't die, and good luck. Also, this and the next chapter I wrote as one, but it was over 2000 words so I broke it up. Also Kyoto 7-7 is based on a real restaurant I loved as a kid. It was called Tokyo 7-7.

* * *

Part VI: Kyoto 7-7

To be perfectly honest, Lena wasn't totally sure why she was in a car with Maggie Sawyer. The woman was basically a stranger, she arrested her that one time, and Lena was an emotional wreck. Oh, she just answered her question. Emotionally compromised people make strange life choices.

Maggie wasn't exactly sure why she was driving Lena Luthor to breakfast. Misplaced loyalty? Perhaps. But after Alex's called her and told her exactly how and why Kara felt, Maggie felt like she could do a little good. She glanced to her right, looking at Lena, who seemed lost in thought. Probably wondering herself what the hell she was doing in the car.

It wasn't long before Maggie pulled into an out of the way looking diner. Maggie got out first and spared an adoring look at the entrance to one of her favourite places, _Kyoto 7-7_. Lena didn't tally, and was out of the car as well. "A Japanese place?" Lena asked with all the scepticism she could muster. It wasn't much, since her stomach chose that moment to betray her too. Maggie admirably didn't smirk at the taller woman, and just led the way into the small establishment.

"It's not totally Japanese, Maggie explained as the hostess led them to their table in the corner. "They've got just about what you'd expect from an 'All-American' diner as well. Though if I'm being honest, this place does pancakes better than any other I've tried in National City."

Lena just nodded as she graciously accepted water from their server who walked off to mind another customer.

There was a period of silence where they (mostly Lena) looked at the menu. When the waitress arrived, Maggie ordered a short stack of pancakes with bananas foster, and a bowl of Udon noodle soup, like a pro. Lena ordered a sashimi salad and one of their in-house custom super food smoothies; Maggie stuck with ice water. Lena's opinion of this odd little place was steadily rising.

"Damn, Little Danvers wasn't joking around, you do love your kale." Maggie remarked as Lena's dark green beverage was brought to their table.

"Sawyer, what are we doing here?" Lena asked without preamble, ignoring Maggie's jibe. She could Maggie almost said, 'wasn't lying' instead of 'joking,' but she didn't call out the detective on it.

Maggie considered for a moment before saying, "We eat first, and then talk. That way, even if this conversation ends poorly, we each will have had a fantastic meal." Maggie finished calmly. She didn't mention it, cause it would probably torpedo whatever conversation she had here with Lena, but she sometimes brought informants here as well; and she knew from experience how much an enjoyable meal could help diffuse a temper before it flared.

Lena's eyebrows twitched in annoyance at getting jerked around a bit, but she ultimately couldn't fault Maggie's logic.

The food was magnificent. Lena wasn't particularly apprehensive about it, but she did have reservations about a place that served such a wide variety. She worried that the width of their reach sacrificed the depth of their quality. But she worried for nothing, since all in all, it was amazing.

Maggie's calm and controlling façade crumbled when her food came. Lena finally understood what Kara meant when she talked about 'Detective Dimples.' Maggie's smile was small, but it contained a rabid, childlike joy. She then proceeded to demolish her food, though she graciously left a bite of pancake and a smidge of bananas foster for Lena to sample, which she accepted with an equally gracious nod. Lena's widened eyes at this small guilty pleasure were enough of a confirmation to Maggie that she made the right choice coming here. Maggie was no Kara when it came to demolishing a meal, but for _humans_ , it was impressive.

Maggie decided to order a mocha after all. And then she began, "I'm not angry at you on Kara's behalf, I wanted to make that clear from the get go. I'm not even sure you're in the wrong, exactly. My job requires me to have a lot of empathy, and that lends itself to these kind of situations quite nicely," Maggie started with more confidence than she inwardly felt. She paused, but Lena didn't say anything. Lena looked _defensive?_ Maggie doubted Lena realised the unconscious posture she adopted when Maggie started talking. "Honestly, I don't have much skin in this game." Maggie confessed. "I'm Alex's fiancée, and I'd like Kara to be happy, but I confess I don't invest myself in the relationships of people around me. Shipping people IRL has rarely lead to good things in my experience," Maggie quipped. She didn't realise she said 'relationship' instead of 'friendship' until she saw Lena's reaction. _Oops._

Lena's eyes widened at the potential framing of her and Kara as a romantic couple. Lena opened her mouth, but closed it again. Maggie didn't want to interrupt her before she got chose her chance to speak up, so they sat in silence for a couple minutes. Maggie was a decent judge of emotional vulnerability, it came with the territory of the job, and she could tell that Lena was in a fragile place. Eventually, Lena said, "I thought she was different. But she lied to me, just the same as everyone else in my life."

The Detective paused for a moment and considered Lena's words. "Have you told Kara you're into her?" She asked almost tenderly. To be perfectly honest, she wasn't 100%, but she was pretty sure Lena was both at least bisexual, and into Kara. Lena's reaction to Maggie's slip of the tongue is what sold Maggie on asking the question, even if it was a leading question, but she turned out to be correct.

Lena's uncharacteristic stutter on nothing but air was confirmation enough. Maggie nodded and smiled a little to herself before saying, "Sometimes we keep the biggest secrets from those we care about the most, _because_ we care about them."

Lena said, "My…infatuation, is _not_ the same as," Lena's eyes darted around, "as _her_ secret." The door to the dinner opening exacerbated Lena's instinct for secrecy. Maggie almost smiled; even though Lena was probably furious with Kara, she's intuitively keeping her secrets. _Just another example of affection_ , the Detective figured.

Maggie shrugged, "I don't know. I mean, sure, they're _different_ secrets, but they each fundamentally change your friendship, don't they? I mean, Kara doesn't stop believing in you because she's been flying around this whole time. And the fact you have a crush on her doesn't alter the fact that you believe in her. Am I wrong? Maggie asked kindly.

Lena frowned and said, "Her faith is misplaced, I proved that when I let Rhea game me into playing a vital role in the Daxamite invasion, and I did again last night." Her voice broke a little on the final syllable.

Part VI:

Maggie didn't know what to say to that except, "The role that you _chose_ to play during the invasion was the woman who was critical in stopping them. Lillian supplied the cube, and Lex designed it, but from what I hear, _you_ were the one who calibrated it to lead. _And_ you put the trigger in Supergirl's hands and kept it away from your mother, anticipating her betrayal. Winn was very happy to tell us all that last part, by the way." Maggie spoke assuredly.

The green-eyed woman but took a deep sip from her smoothies before replying, "You're still underplaying my _stupidity_ that landed the planet in that situation, but disregarding that whole…calamity, I _said_ something to Kara last night that I'll never be able to take back. Something that can't be forgiven. It doesn't matter that she didn't _trust_ me enough to tell me she– about her _hobby_ –,"

"Alex told me what you said to Kara. I knew before I got into the elevator at L–Corp." Maggie said. "About how she betrayed your trust like Lex." Maggie said clearly.

Lena flinched, "Then you know why she won't forgive me."

Maggie rolled her eyes, "I know nothing of the sort. The fact of the matter is, your brother is total fucking monster who has killed children and laughed it off, on television." Lena looked down in shame. "Hey, it wasn't you. I know what it's like to have shit for family, all right. Maybe not _that_ shitty, but I've got a frame of reference." Maggie said in a not altogether reassuring way. "But I don't think _unforgiveable_ is something that applies to the people Kara truly cares about."

Lena didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything. She didn't really want to get her hopes up. Maggie did a little thinking and decided to change tracks. "What makes you think it's about trust?" Maggie asked suddenly.


	7. A Trip With Feelings

Part VI: A Trip With Feelings

Lena didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything. She didn't really want to get her hopes up. Maggie did a little thinking and decided to change tracks. "What makes you think it was about trust?" Maggie asked suddenly.

"Because she kept the secret for almost a year!" Lena spat as if it was obvious. There was no real animosity in her response, just frustration.

"Forgive me for being blunt, but does your not telling Kara of your, affections for her–,"

"You will _not_ use my feelings for Kara to justify the lies she told!" Lena said with the utmost authority."

Despite the tone of voice Lena had just levelled at her, Maggie couldn't help but offer a small smile, "I'm not. I would never do that. I'm just making a point, and I think you're close to seeing it. You haven't told her about your feelings for her, that's fine. I'm not judging you whatsoever about that, trust me, I get it. But does your not telling her have anything remotely to do with your lack of trust in the girl?" Maggie responded. Lena didn't offer a response. "Look, I was outed when I was a kid, and some really terrible shit happened after that." Maggie began. Lena looked a little alarmed at the sudden shift, but she let Maggie continue. "I've struggled for over a decade to come to terms with my teenage years. Being with Alex certainly made it easier to come to terms with it. I'm not at acceptance yet, but I'm getting there. I don't know if you're still in the closet yet, and it's not my business, but Kara knows how bad things went for me after my best friend found out my biggest secret all those years ago."

Lena frowned, "I thought you said it wasn't about trust?" They both moved to get up, having finished their drinks. The lunch crowd was filing in and their relative privacy was shrinking by the minute. They walked back to Maggie's car. She didn't answer Lena's question until they were on the road.

"It's not. Or at least, I'm very sure it isn't." Maggie cleared up. "I think what Kara got out of my story, was that everyone treated me differently after finding out I was a lesbian. And it's a very different situation for her cause nobody can really disown her for being well, _special_ , but she spends her time around people who all know her secret. And they, we, all treat her accordingly. She's never _just_ Kara. And yeah, I'm including me in that."

Lena raised her eyes at that admission. She let out a mirthless chuckle; "I didn't take you for the judgemental type, Sawyer."

Maggie shrugged, "I like to think I'm not. But it's not about judgement, it's about the fact that she is capable of things that other people just aren't. I'm sure you've heard about that day last year when Supergirl went rogue and trashed a bunch of shit, and threw Cat Grant off her balcony?"

Lena gasped, "I didn't know about that last part. She really did that?"

Maggie nodded soberly, "Alex doesn't like talking about it, but I found out from Winn that she was seconds away from killing Alex. That's how far that _substance_ warped her mind. Think about that for a moment, she was basically poisoned with something that nearly induced her to murder the person she cares about most in the world."

And Lena did, and it was horrible. And an unbidden desire, though not altogether an unexpected one came to the surface, jealousy. Perhaps not romantic jealousy, but _she_ wanted to be the person Kara cared about most.

Maggie continued, "So, I didn't know her at that time, but the thing is, I knew that deep down, Kara had some terrifying feelings of rage, that had at one point boiled to the surface, albeit artificially induced. Now, picture arresting this force of nature's best friend, in front of her." Maggie let Lena chew on that for a little while. Maggie also didn't miss the tinge of colour nipping at Lena's cheekbones. Having been on the freeway for a few minutes, Maggie began to move lanes towards the next off ramp.

"I suppose I never thought about my arrest from that perspective before," Lena said slowly. She looked at Maggie with something almost like sympathy.

"Yeah, well, don't tell anybody, but that was really scary for me. There have only been a few times in my line of work where I've been scared that bad. But I think I conducted myself quite well, considering." Maggie stated a little smugly.

"Oh, ha ha," Lena drawled.

Maggie's eyebrows creased for a moment as she negotiated moving lanes in front a particularly shitty driver. "I'm just saying, in that moment, I didn't see Kara Danvers. I saw an angry god, and she was angry with _me_. And that was difference between you and everyone else."

Lena frowned a little, "I'm not sure I follow."

Maggie considered her next words carefully. "From what Alex has told me, Kara didn't have anybody other than her, and Eliza, and Superman before coming to National City. Remember, she's only been here a couple years longer than you, still a newbie around these parts, in _my_ opinion. And from what I've been able to get out of Alex about Kara's high school and college life…it kinda sucked, socially." Maggie paused sipping her mocha, then putting it back in the drink holder. "Long story short, she didn't get close to anyone because she _couldn't_ tell them what she was. And then she became Supergirl and things were even more complicated since knowing the secret put them in danger." Maggie stopped suddenly, which caught Lena's attention.

"I'm not weak–," Lena huffed.

Maggie cut her off, "It's not about _weakness_ , Alex Danvers is the one of the few people on the planet who has won hand to hand confrontations with far more powerful aliens, and she almost died when some _human monster_ took her hostage to blackmail Supergirl. Because, when you're a part of this very small club, you're always a target." Maggie regained her composure with a few deep breaths, just like her therapist advised all those years ago.

The car was nearing Lena's flat, but Lena was too distracted in thought of what Maggie was saying to take into account that she was almost home. Before long, Maggie pulled the car up to the loading area in front of Lena's penthouse. Maggie sighed, "Lena, look."

Maggie started in a softer voice than she had used this whole time. "Personally, I don't think she withheld her secret identity from you because of _anything_ to do with trust. I think it had _everything_ to do with the fact you're the one person in the world who has cared truly, and deeply so, about _Kara Danvers_. Not the alien middle schooler who needed a home, and not the hero who saved the world. _Just_ Kara Danvers, the demure, adorkable nerd. And I have no doubts that she _cherished_ every minute of it. Good day, Lena." Maggie finished with a genuine smile.

Lena got out of the car. She wasn't quick enough to hide the tears that had found their way onto her cheeks.


	8. Non-Disclosure Agreement

Part VIII: Non-Disclosure Agreement

It had been a couple days since Maggie dragged Lena to Kyoto 7-7. Maggie couldn't figure out if it felt like it had just happened, or it was so far gone. It took a lot out of her.

Alex pressed her lips to her fiancé's temple. Alex was similarly exhausted from her shorter talk with Kara, but she still couldn't imagine being able to talk to Lena like Maggie did. "Hey," Maggie whispered, "Have you heard from Kara yet today?"

Alex shook her head. "If nothing else, probably means that she's more or less the same as she was yesterday." The young Supergirl had been initially livid when she heard that Maggie had dragged Lena out for a talk. Alex was quick to rectify the potentially disastrous situation by ensuring that Maggie only meant well. Kara wasn't completely convinced, but she wasn't flying off the handle either.

Kara was lucky in a way, the DEO and Snapper Car had kept her so busy. It meant that guilty thoughts of her situation with Lena weren't flowing freely around her head when deadlines were imminent.

Just kidding, Kara thought of nothing _but_ the situation with Lena, deadlines be damned. Besides, she could write the articles Snapper requested in her sleep, she just needed an official source first. Conveniently, that source had to come from NCPD in this case, and Kara would get to corner Maggie and interrogate her about _her_ interrogation of Lena. Win/win.

Lena had made a discreet trip to the DEO headquarters a couple hours outside the city. Lucy Lane had been waiting for her. And yes, Lena knew she was being a coward about not going to the perfectly good and _upgraded_ DEO facility not two miles from her L-Corp headquarters, but the fact of the matter was, she just wasn't ready to run into Kara; at the very least, not in an unplanned situation. The young Ms.–Director Lane had given her an appraising glare as she walked through the blast doors. Lena shook her head at the confusion, She was here for a _quick_ visit, just to sign the Non-disclosure agreement regarding the identity of Supergirl. But the pixie-like Director had other ideas.

"So, how did you find out?" she asked as she sauntered over to the harried-looking CEO. The shorter woman was putting away her phone, just having been briefed on how much Lena already knew.

Lena took a moment to look down at the woman who addressed her. She hadn't really met Lucy Lane before, but she had heard of her from Lex, weirdly enough. It was years ago, and it was offhand, which was why Lena remembered it in the first place. She didn't remember the whole anecdote, but she remembered it being about the woman standing before her. And Lex's tone was unmistakeable: affection. And to be honest, Lena could see what Lex saw. The difference was, she was smitten with another woman at the moment.

"She told me." Lena admitted. "What about you? How did you get pulled into the loop?" Lena asked good naturedly.

Lucy paused for a moment, her eyebrows coming together. "I basically sentenced Alex, and the _other_ director of the DEO to be tortured forever by CADMUS." Lena's jaw dropped. Lucy shrugged, "Kara and I got them back. And it was when they were under the purview of the U.S. government, before your mom took them and went rogue." Lena was still baffled as to how that was in any way ok.

"And they _trust_ you?" Lena asked, not unkindly, but still flabbergasted. Lucy paused for a moment before putting the NDA on the table for Lena to look over and sign. Within a few minutes, Lena had scanned the thing, and signed her name on no less than four sheets. Lucy wouldn't admit it, but Lena broke the time record for reading and signing that blasted NDA by four minutes.

Lucy shrugged again, the cheeky glint was gone from her eyes. "It was probably my worst moment. We had just discovered Henshaw wasn't who he said he was. The DEO was compromised, and I was still listening to my father. I didn't know much about CADMUS, actually. I knew that Henshaw's best friend was one of its directors. So they couldn't have been too terrible right?" Lucy let out a dark laugh, "Well, after that whole fiasco, and after Myriad, I looked into some of the stuff that your mother got up to with them. I went to my father, and asked him to put me in a room with the President. He didn't hate Supergirl anymore, but he was, and still is, a fervent xenophobe. He thought I was the same, that I'd influence the President to see things his way. In retrospect, it's hilarious how wrong he was. I gave Madam President the CADMUS file, and a few months later, she somehow pushed the Alien Amnesty bill through the House and Senate." Lucy's eyes had a far away look as she talked. Enough so that Lena was actually beginning to feel uncomfortable.

Lucy sort of came out of it, and noticed Lena's expression. "Look, long story short, I did a bad thing, and they forgave me. At the end of the day, I can moralize and rationalize about my intentions, but I was wrong. Alex took a little longer than the others, I'll admit, but I _did_ try and condemn her to torture and experimentation forever…so, the fact that I get invited to game night every once in a while is a minor miracle." Lucy took a deep breath. Lena's brow was patently furrowed in thought.

"Kara told me she was Supergirl and I reacted really, really, poorly." Lena confessed. "I ah–," Lena stopped as Lucy raised a gentle hand to signal Lena to wait a moment.

"You don't need to tell me, Miss Luthor." Lucy stated in a somewhat gentler tone. "Truthfully, I don't care. But I know that you've done _great_ things. Nothing you could've possibly said will ever eclipse that. She'll forgive you." Lucy looked at Lena's uncharacteristically emotive face. There was a _deep_ shame there that was uncomfortably familiar to Lucy. "I think you should be more worried about forgiving yourself. Trust me, that kind of self-imposed prison of misery serves nobody but your detractors." Lucy's tone was more serious again.

She gave the CEO a gentle squeeze on the shoulder and finished with, "It'll get better, Miss Luthor. I've seen the way Supergirl looks at you. You're gonna be just fine." Lucy turned to address one of her subordinates that had just passed her a note. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to excuse me, another Fort Rozz escapee has indicated she'd like to work on a plea deal." And with that, the pint-sized Director passed the NDA to her subordinate, and left Lena standing there. "Your chopper's been re-fuelled and is waiting. Remember what I said, and see you 'round Lena!" And with that, she was gone.


	9. Kara and Maggie Talk (Part One)

The distance to Maggie's apartment would've been traversable in less than ten seconds if Kara had flown. But the truth was, she didn't know what she was going to say to Alex's fiancée, and summoning an Uber gave her a little more precious time to formulate her thoughts. It was just so complicated.

On one hand, she was incredibly grateful that Maggie had put in the effort, on the other, was terrified, because her relati–friendship with Lena was one of the most important things in her life, and the thought of _anybody_ affecting it made her uneasy; even if it was with the best of intent.

Before long, her Uber arrived at Maggie's place. She used her x-ray vision and glanced up at Maggie's apartment quickly to ensure that she hadn't wasted a trip. She hadn't, Maggie was blow-drying her hair.

Kara put her glasses back on and took a breath to calm herself down. It didn't work. But she walked the stairs anyway.

Maggie was just finishing getting dressed after a um…stimulating phone call with Alex. She checked her phone's clock. She wasn't supposed to be back at the station until tomorrow. Awesome. There was a knock at her door. She shouted, "I'll be there in a minute," as she made a beeline to the bathroom where she cleaned her orgasm from her hands.

A few seconds later, she was in front of the door. She glanced at the camera feed she had installed after Alex's kidnapping and verified it was just Kara. Oh.

She opened the door and greeted the girl of steel with her signature grin, "What brings you around these parts, little Danvers?" _Can she smell the sex on me? I mean, I took a shower so…yup, she probably can._ _Fuck my life._

Kara could indeed tell what just happened minutes before her arrival, but frankly, she was so used to that kind of thing from years of having extreme senses that it didn't bother her. Not until she realised Alex had blown her off not 30 minutes ago because of 'handcuff malfunction at the DEO'…oh god. Kara quickly perished the thought, and accepted the glass of water Maggie thrust into her hand as she went to get herself one as well.

"Hey, Kara? Not that I don't like your presence, but you've never been here before. What did you want my advice on?" Maggie started smartly. She knew perfectly why Kara was there, or at least she thought she did. By framing it a little differently, she just set the more positive tone of the whole encounter.

Kara's hand visibly shook as she raised the glass to her lips for a sip before putting it down on the counter. "You went to talk to Lena," she said with a slight tremor to her voice.

Maggie nodded, "Yes I did. And before you ask, It went quite well."

Kara's eyes widened. Maggie was calm. Her heart beat was steady. "Define well," Kara said after a moment of thought.

Maggie was surprised herself, Kara was far more calm than the detective feared the Kryptonian would be. "I took her out for a bite to eat at one of my regular haunts, and we talked. I think she really needed somebody in her corner." Kara was about to respond with the obvious 'But I'm in her corner!' but Maggie cut her off before she could start. "Look, we all _know_ you've been the one in her corner this whole time. Especially when we were being assholes about her a few months ago. But this time it's different, cause it's you and Lena in the ring, and she's got no cut man, while you've got several. Also, I doubt it's any surprise to you, but I was astounded by how much guilt she carries around. It's unreal"

Kara bobbed her head. She was ready for a fight with the woman who'd soon be her sister-in-law. Not empathy. So, Kara asked the only thing that really mattered to her in the moment. "Maggie, does she hate me?" Maggie's slight grin disappeared. She drew a quick breath as she took in how honestly _broken_ this goddess looked. Like the prospect of Lena detesting her was the worst thing that could happen to her… _maybe it is the worst thing. Wow, maybe I was right on the money with the romantic angle,_ she thought.


	10. Kara and Maggie Talk (Part Two)

Kara and Maggie Talk (Part Two)

Maggie took a step towards Kara, and to the superhero's surprise, the shorter woman pulled her into a rare hug. For one of the only times in her life, Kara was the second person in the hug to put her arms around the other. "Kara, I don't think Lena could hate you if she tried." Maggie said softly. "I'm not saying there aren't issues to be ironed out between the pair of you, cause there are." Maggie released the taller woman from her embrace. "Do you know when I _knew_ I was in it for the long-haul with your sister?" Maggie asked as she went to re-fill her glass.

Kara was slightly surprised by this change of topic. "Um, no."

Maggie smiled to herself a little as she said, "It was when we had a conversation about how I had cheated on my ex-girlfriend." Kara raised her eyes at this new information, but Maggie raised a 'just wait' hand and rolled her eyes. "Not my best moment. But Alex didn't judge me guilty. She actually made some really important insights about how I used to have, and still do to an extent, issues about emotional intimacy. I suppose that kinda happens when the people you love most completely betray you. But I'm getting distracted. The moment that I knew Alexandra Danvers was my forever girl was when she hugged me and told me that she initially thought I was perfect, but was so glad to realize I had issues too; just like her." Maggie's eyes misted up just a smidge at the raw emotion of the memory. Kara was a little teary eyed herself.

"Alex is awesome," Kara said with a small smile.

Maggie nodded, "Damn right she is."

Kara bumped Maggie on the shoulder, "You're awesome too Maggie."

Maggie just waved her hand in a casual 'oh stahp' gesture. "You and Lena both have some issues. But I think the real tragedy would be if you two didn't try to solve them, together."

Kara's brief spot of pink in her cheeks was all the conversation that Maggie needed to say the next part, "I think you should also tell her how you really feel. If you're going cold turkey on secrets between the pair of you, that's a pretty big one to get out into the open." Maggie's voice had returned to the confident tone with which she'd started the conversation.

"I can't promise you that I'll do that," Kara said quietly. "But you're right about the issues we have that need to be fixed." Maggie nodded at the victory she'd won.

"She told me what she said you know, that she compared you to her older brother. Like I said, betrayals by loved ones take their toll. And for what it's worth Kara, she was crying when she confessed that. If she could, she'd move mountains to take back that horrible thing she said." Maggie was beginning to get fired up on Lena's behalf. _Holy fuck, did we just become best friends?_ Maggie shook the thought from her head before saying, "Look. The point is, you should talk to her. I'm done mediating this _spat_ between the two of you. But it's on you both to fix it for your own sakes." Maggie finished her sentence with another draining of her glass. Speaking made her thirsty. Also, Alex was supposed to swing by later.

"Thank you, Maggie." Kara said. "I," she stopped, aligning the right words in her head, "I'm glad that you had Lena's back. I was worried, cause when I found out that you went to speak to her, I just remembered you marching her out of L-Corp in cuffs. And I know that you were doing your job, I do, but I couldn't shake the image. And then I got all fired up and came here ready for a fight, when _I_ was the one who hurt Lena this time." Kara took a much needed breath.

Maggie just reached out and patted Kara's shoulder in understanding. "I get it, I was kinda remembering that day when I went over to L-Corp again. I'm happy to say, this visit was far more fruitful." Maggie suppressed a shudder at the fear she felt, even now just talking about that night. Kara really had no idea the power she radiated when she was angry.

Kara smiled at that. "Well, since you just schooled me on empathy, I suppose I should get out of your hair." Kara finished her second glass of water, and stood up again. Maggie walked her to the door.

"One last thing," Maggie said as Kara crossed the threshold. "You are lucky to have Lena Luthor in your life. And equally so, Lena Luthor is lucky to have you in her life. Go show her that, Little Danvers," Maggie waved slightly suggestively as she closed the door with a satisfying thud.


	11. Mirror, Mirror

Part X: Mirror, Mirror

Lena was at work. She really shouldn't be though, since it was another fateful day, that happened to fall on a weekend. Nobody should be working weekends, well, at least not Lena. Her sole alien detection device rested on her desk. After the invasion, and how effective it turned out to be in chiselling away a piece of Rhea's deception, she figured it was worth keeping. Even if looking at it brought up some undesirable memories. But there was a single positive memory to go with it too. A confusing memory that made far more sense now. Lena hadn't meant to put Kara in a position like she now knew she did. It was supposed to be a lark, one of those 'I'm only human' moments that friends laugh about all the time. Kara wasn't her friend yet, and oddly enough, that day with the alien detection device have been the first awkward step on the road to friendship.

"Ms. Luthor?" Jess buzzed in Lena's ear. There was definitely a chuckle in her voice. Odd.

"Yes, Jess?"

"You scheduled an event for today. If you don't leave, you'll be late," Jess said with absolute confidence.

"An event?" Lena wasn't following.

"Yes. You scheduled it the night Detective Sawyer met with you….you were intoxicated ma'am."

Lena narrowed her eyes. Oh, yeah, she was definitely intoxicated that night. Fuck, _what did I do?_ In fairness, she was not the best at handling revelations or emotions. "Jess. What. Did. I. Do?"

Jess wasn't taking any risks here. She got up from her desk and walked the short distance until she was standing in front of Lena's desk. "Um, well, you left an audio-file attached to the reminder on my tablet when you walked off with it…" Jess looked down. The shame of having her tablet nicked, even if it was by the boss was shame all the same. "I haven't listened to it. You threatened to fire me if I did, but I sent it to your laptop just now, and deleted it from my device."

Lena took a moment to mentally berate herself. "Jess, I wouldn't have fired you…Ok, I may have fired you a wee bit, but I'd have hired you back immediately after I realised what drunk me had done."

Jess looked up and met her boss' eyes. "Really?"

Lena was flabbergasted, "Christ, Jessica! I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm giving you another raise. No, don't argue. You're young, you might start a family someday and I'd like you to not have to worry financially because of it."

Jess smiled at her boss. "Ms. Luthor, I'm twenty-eight. We wouldn't have even been in high school together, that's how much older than you I am."

Lena huffed, "And you still think I care about that? Take your damn raise."

"Okay," Jess replied with a small smile. She really did enjoy getting under Lena's CEO persona every once in a while. "I'll leave you alone with the personal message." With that, Jess left Lena alone in the office.

Well, nothing for it then, Lena thought as she the clicked play icon on the file Jess had sent her on their verified DEO-proof server. Drunk Lena's voice filled Sober Lena's earphones, "Oh, hi there, you cowardly slag. I though I'd leave a message for you 'cause I know you're gonna delay this shit show as long as possible, until it's bloody unbearable." Well, she wasn't wrong about the delay part. Drunk Lena's hard tone turned into something much softer, but noticeably more unhinged. "Just tell her. You're sorry. You're more sorry about what you said to her, and not immediately standing by her side than you've been about anything in your life. It's even worse than that one time you got Lex blamed for stealing Dad's blueprints…wow, I think those are still floating around somewhere…no matter, I'll build that later." Drunk Lena was now talking to herself, while talking to her sober self.

Lena waited for more, and the file was still running, but there was just heavy breathing, a couple sobs, and a loud hiccupping burp from her drunk counter part.

 _Just beautiful_ , Lena thought with her face firmly on her palm. "Look, Lena, I know you're sorry, and I know you love her, you're me. Just don't let her go. I don't think we could live with ourselves if Kara got away from us because we were everything we promised we'd change about the Luthor name. I can't live like that, and neither can you. Go get her to fall in love with you again."


	12. The Final Gatekeeper

Part XI: The Final Gatekeeper

Four knocks. And then another four. She wasn't answering. Lena stood skittishly outside of Kara's small apartment, in the hallway. She checked her phone again. _It was a reasonable hour. 1:17am was reasonable, right? RIGHT?_ Lena shook her head, clearing her panicky thoughts. She wasn't ready to confront Kara. She never would be, really. But that's what she was here to do. Confront Kara, and get her to listen to an epic apology.

Her phone chimed, she looked at it, but it was just a reminder of the event she had set when she was drunk.

SAY SORRY TO KARA- 10PM.

Sober Lena had to admit that Drunk Lena had some guts, and forward thinking that lacked the general cowardice that governed much of her personal social interactions. She started to pace back and forth across the hall in front of Kara's door. Standing still was doing nothing for her. In motion, she felt a little more comfortable. After a few minutes, she knocked again. Nothing.

Across town, another young woman was pacing up and down in front of Lena's hallway. _Enough of this, I've saved the world, I can_ apologize _to a girl I lov-like…right?_ Kara's own thoughts betrayed her. She checked her pocket for her phone. 1:23am. Lena would still be working, right? With a deep breath and determined exhale, she turned the corner and approached Jess' desk.

Lena Luthor's assistant was neck-deep in some fanfic a pen pal of hers from the Ikebukuro district in Tokyo had recommended. Work for the day, and the next two, was done, as long as Lena didn't have another abduction or something similar happens.

The world of Remnant with it's shattered moon dissolved before here mind's eye. Instead, she was now looking at an anxious Kara Danvers.

"Is um, is Lena still in?" the reporter ventured as she fiddled with the glasses adorning her crinkled brow.

Jess took a full few seconds to gently and primly close her laptop and adjust her own pair of glasses. "Lena is out." Kara's expression did a weird dance between relieved and disappointed and sad and hopeful and–"Enough with that, Ms. Danvers." Jess said, cutting off Kara's continuously morphing expression. "You're here to see her about something important I presume?"

Kara managed a nod. "I am. But if she's not here, can you tell her I was by?"

Jess considered for a moment before she decided she gave zero fucks, "You know, I'd have expected you to stop by in your finest blue and red at this time of night."

Kara made some kind of chirping squeak at this new revelation. Jess just looked at her with bemusement. "Did she tell you?"

Jess' expression turned colder, "Do you think Ms. Luthor would betray you like Ms. Danvers? Do you take her friendship so lightly?"

Kara was a little taken aback by this turn of events, "No, I–,"

"Then why would you ask such a damning question of me? Of course she didn't tell me. Seriously? I knew your secret when you sped by me faster than my eyes could track. You literally became a blur. Like Cat Grant's other coined hero,The Streak from last year. I'm not blind where you're involved like my boss is. I owe you no such emotional attachment." Jess's voice didn't raise in volume, but she was spitting fire all the same.

Kara took a few breaths and calmed down. "You're right, it was wrong of me to question Lena's integrity like that. But I really want to talk to her, I have so much to apologize for." Kara suppressed her inner guffaws regarding Barry Allen's super awkward CatCo. approved hero name on this earth.

Jess' expression warmed instantly, she actually chuckled. "You really do. She's been despondent recently."

"Why are you laughing at me?" Kara asked, just slightly confused at Jess' abrupt turn from dangerous to genial.

"Like ships in the night." Jess muttered, drawing out her prototype smartphone.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kara inquired with a cocked eyebrow. She had seriously underestimated Lena's assistant.

Jess fixed Kara with a searching look, but before she could answer the young Kryptonian in front of her, the assistant's phone vibrated. Jess smirked when she saw the caller I.D.

"Yes, Ms. Luthor?" Jess asked levelly. Kara's eyes were almost bugging out of her head. Caught between wanting to sprint out of there, and wanting to talk to Lena herself. "Yes, I understand. It makes sense she wouldn't be in her apartment. After all, she's standing in front of me right now." Jess looked at Kara one last time, looking for something Kara couldn't discern. Jess the gatekeeper made her decision. "It would seem by happy coincidence, both you and Ms. Danvers had the same idea. Yes. She's right here actually."

Jess pressed a button and Lena's office doors opened. Jess gestured for Kara to have a little privacy as she handed over her phone.

Kara mouthed a heartfelt 'Thank you!' and made a beeline for Lena's balcony.

"Are you there?" Lena breathed into Kara's ear.

"I am, Lena. I'm here. I'm on your balcony, actually. Jess let me have a little privacy." Kara rambled. The Kryptonian took this opportunity to utilize her supervision; indeed, Lena was standing with her back against Kara's apartment door.

"Do you…" Lena paused. "Do you think we can have this conversation in person?" Lena asked quietly. Kara nodded, even though nobody could see her.

"Yes, I've very much like that!" Kara breathed out a big sigh of relief. "Um, do you want to do it now?"

"Yes I do." Lena replied assuredly.

"Okay, would you like to meet at…Noonan's or something?" Kara supplied off the top of her head.

Lena's breathing filled the other line for a moment before the CEO said, "Actually, Maggie Sawyer took me to a new place that I've been wanting to try again. And yes, they're open 24 hours. I'll text you the address."

"Awesome! I'll meet you there?" Kara finished.

"Absolutely," Lena replied with a smile. "See you soon, Kara"


	13. A Pale Crow

Part XII: The Pale Crow

There was another party at the restaurant when Lena arrived. She wasn't worried about being overheard though, after a short conversation via text with Maggie, she learned that Kyoto 7-7 had a small private room, for the right price. Lena didn't even hesitate. It was an added bonus really that this room came with several complementary dishes only reserved for those who purchased the room.

According to Maggie, their mother restaurant in Tokyo regularly hosted organized crime; Yakuza, Snakeheads, Russian Mafia, the Sushi chef's drunk and retired sniper godmother who road in on a barge from Thailand with her unconquerable comrades from Russia's incursion into Afghanistan, etc.

So when these types with affiliation to the mother restaurant, the original, Tokyo 7-7; showed up in National City, they wanted a place they could rely upon to be discreet. So there was a private room built during the later stages of construction that wasn't on the blue prints. Lena didn't ask how Maggie knew about the room, but when a Luthor called them up requesting it for a day, they didn't hesitate to say yes. They didn't question how she knew about it either.

As Lena entered Kyoto 7-7, she announced herself to the hostess who made a signal to one of the waiters. The hostess wore no name tag, neither did any of the serving staff. She was tall. She was taller than Lena at any rate, hovering over the ravenette in the area of about six feet even, in flats no less. Her extremely pale hair framed her face and tapered out around her shoulders. In Lena's opinion, the hostess could use a trip to the salon to spruce up her style.

The other waiter dropped his current load of dishes off at the table one of the other waiters was cleaning up with a whispered exchange between the two. He stepped up to the podium and took over the duties of the hostess currently guiding Lena through the maze of tables and down the hallway where the restrooms were located. The alley-side doorway was looking like the probable destination until the hostess stopped and knocked on a space of wall that showed no outward signs of being anything other than ordinary. The distinct metallic twang as her knuckles rapped on it gave the secret room away. A biometric scanning system presented itself where the hostess fulfilled the necessary steps. The door hissed open, and the hostess kindly gestured for Lena to enter the room without entering herself.

"I'm expecting…a friend of mine tonight," Lena said as calmly as she could. She may be a Luthor, and as such exposed to some really otherworldly things, but Lena was a sucker for a well-disguised secret room.

"Do you have a name and a picture so that I can identify and take her right to you?" the hostess asked in an almost bored voice with a pronounced Russian accent.

Lena took out her phone and showed the woman a selfie she took with Kara last month during a Gala. "Her name is Kara," Lena supplied.

The hostess nodded, apparently not caring about a surname, "I'll show her here immediately, correct? Or do you prefer we treat her as enemy?" The nonchalance though still slightly bored attitude of the hostess gave Lena chills for reasons she didn't particularly want to dig deeper into.

"She's a friend," Lena rushed to say. "The best… _my_ best." Lena managed as the hostess gave her a cocked eyebrow.

"Good. It is good to have friends," the hostess murmured, as if to herself. Lena was becoming more unnerved by the taller woman. "I will be serving you tonight. No need to be bothered by strangers during meeting. Only I."

Lena wasn't exactly thrilled, but she could appreciate the gesture she assumed was meant to comfort more unscrupulous and dangerous individuals during high-level liaisons which she assumed happened in this room at least sometimes.

"What is your name?" Lena asked politely.

"In your language…Crow." Lena frowned for a moment before her first semester of college Russian kicked in.

"Your name is 'Vorona'?" Lena asked. She was pretty sure the hostess was Russian, but she also didn't want to be _that_ person.

"Yes," Vorona replied deadpan. "I will wait for your… ' _my best_ '. I will bring her to you when she arrives. Would you like to drink while you wait?"

"I'll have water for now. I'll wait to order anything else until she gets here," Lena replied.

Vorona just nodded and silently quit the room. The door slid into place behind her.

Lena let out a breath without realizing she was holding it. There was _something_ about her server, Vorona, that was just _off_. It put her on edge. The CEO took out her phone to check the time only to realize there was suddenly no service. _Makes sense_ , Lena thought as she sat down on the lavish cushion on the floor. She took a moment to appreciate the room itself. It wasn't very big, but other than the small size, she could tell the people who commissioned its building spared no expense. And Lena _really_ knew how to recognize that sort of thing.

She hesitated before holding out her right hand and left. Her right trembled with tension that was lacking in her left. She closed her fists and put her hands back down. _Benign tremor my ass, it looks like some early warning sign I'd find on a medical drama._

Before more than a minute had elapsed, the door hissed open again, Vorona entered alone, (another breath let out in a nervous gust for Lena) and quickly set down Lena's cup and a bucket of ice which contained a bottle of unlabelled but doubtlessly expensive water.

Without waiting for Lena's say-so, and seeming a little on auto-pilot, the Russian woman flawlessly poured Lena a glass of chilled water. "How long have you worked here?" Lena asked out of nowhere.

Vorona was at the door, she turned to reply, "Not so long. I will knock when I bring her here." The door lightly hissed as Vorona returned to the front to watch for Kara. But then the door hissed open again, "There is tablet in table. Use it to call for food or drink, or aid," Vorona said as she peeked her head back in. But then she was truly gone to the front of the establishment.

 _What's taking her so long, she's got bloody super-speed._ Lena wasn't angry, just very, very, nervous. She spent the next several minutes trying to think of how to apologize to Kara. She was able to narrow down the general message she wanted to send, but the wording of her intent for once escaped her. _Damn, I knew I should've paid more attention in my literature and writing classes._

Four knocks came from the door, then a second later, it hissed open, revealing the wide and curious eyes of Kara Danvers. The superhero nervously stepped into the room, eyes moving quite fast, as if she was cataloguing everything about it. "This room is…strong," Kara murmered to herself.

"Yes. It can even contain _our kind_ ," Vorona said casually as she sceptically eyed Lena's untouched glass of water. Lena and Kara both started, but Vorona clearly didn't give a shit about any of this. "If you need, tap icon on tablet, I'll be here waiting. Otherwise, you will not be disturbed." With that, she activated the door and it hissed shut.

The two young women were finally alone. After an uncertain time of silence passed between the two, Lena had a small epiphany. "Let's get something to eat first, and then we'll talk. Talk about…everything. So that way, no matter what happens between us, we will at the very least enjoy a great meal together."

Kara nodded, not trusting herself to speak just yet. Lena got out a menu, and if the gleam that suddenly appeared in Kara's eyes were anything to judge by, this meeting of the two was off to a good start.


	14. The House of L

Part XIII: The House of L

"Sawyer," Vorona greeted lazily on her Blutooth as she went to the kitchen to notify the Chef of Luthor and Danvers' orders.

"Vorona! How's National City treating you?" the detective asked with genuine enthusiasm.

"Not too bad. Luthor is here. With a friend," Vorona replied.

"Lena? Really? Is her friend blonde and kind of puppy-like?"

"She is Danvers, yes." Vorona decided to get to the point. "Did you tell her about the room?"

Sawyer laughed, "Nope. But I'm not surprised she found out about it. She _is_ a Luthor. The _best_ Luthor."

Vorona tilted her head in thought. "The girl, Danvers, do you know what she is?" Vorona's voice was softer now.

Maggie's breath was the only thing Vorona could make out for a couple moments. "Yeah. And now you know you're not totally alone." Maggie's voice was tender. The big sister role came so naturally to her. Vorona certainly wasn't complaining.

"Technically, Samantha Reign is more like me, but it is nice to know _normal_ Kryptonian too." Vorona supplied. There was a suggestion of confusion in Maggie's lack of response. "You did not know this?"

Maggie's voice came through in a squeak, "She's a Worldkiller like you?"

Vorona shrugged, helping one of the older waitresses with a heavy plate load. "Not a danger anymore. I helped her like you helped me. Her daughter helped too." Maggie made a sort of choking sound on the other end of the line. So many bombshells, so little time.

"Well, if you vouch for her…" Maggie trailed off uncharacteristically anti-climactic after such a revelation about Wayne Enterprises one-time CEO.

"Sawyer….you good?" Vorona asked in an equally uncharacteristic moment of human concern.

"She just brought it up out of nowhere today…Alex wants kids…" Maggie confessed in horror.

Vorona cocked her head. "And this is problem? You're both beautiful. You'd make excellent and beautiful children together." Vorona wondered what Maggie's hang-up was.

"That's not…I _can't_ …I, I, I don't know if we can get married anymore?" Maggie whimpered. Vorona was actively concerned. Maggie was many things, but never _weak_. Something was very wrong.

Vorona made up her mind then and there to help her greatest friend _on Earth_ , "Tell me about this _problem_ with children you have…"

The food was exemplary, as Lena hoped it would be. It was a testament to her nerves that she ordered the same thing Maggie ordered. Today was simply not a day for kale. Kara may have noticed the odd shake up in Lena's diet, but she was frankly too occupied stuffing her face (with much nervousness) with several orders of Gyoza.

Once they had finished, Lena before Kara despite the sheer magnitude of Kara's order, Lena used the tablet imbedded in the table to summon Vorona to clear away their food.

The gangly blonde swiftly entered the room and stacked all the dishes up. Lena noticed that the sheer weight of all the plates would be far too much for even a burly waiter…Kara didn't hold back on those Gyoza. Vorona turned back to them when she was at the door, "Would either you like to have sweet treat?"

Kara looked at Lena and Lena shrugged. No matter what happened between them, Lena didn't have the heart to deny the kicked puppy lood Kara had in her eyes insofar as missing dessert was concerned. "Yes, but perhaps a little later," Lena said diplomatically.

Vorona shrugged, lightly jostling the plates stacked well above her head. The door opened on some unseen command and Vorona was out of the room and the two of them were finally alone.

"Is she…?" Lena wondered aloud.

"Alien?" Kara finished hesitantly. Lena nodded. Kara shrugged and remembered Vorona's earlier remark about ' _our kind'_ , and decided the woman wasn't even trying to be subtle about her powers.

"Yeah, I think she is." Kara responded. They sat ins ilence for a while. Kara was hugging herself, her hands clasped opposite elbows, trying to make herself more comfortable. Lena's hands twitched at her side, wanting more than anything to make the blonde goddess before her _know_ beyond the shadow of doubt that she was _loved_.

"So..." Kara tried to start. She sucked in a deep breath.

"I'm so sorry Kara." "I'm so sorry Lena."

They spoke at the same time. The both had tears in their eyes. Kara hiccupped/half sobbed a laugh. despite her tears, the short bust of laughter came from a genuine place of joy.

"Lena, I–," Lena cut Kara off with a painful shake of her head.

"Kara, don't. I, I don't need you to apologize…not to me." Lena breathed out. Her lovely verdant eyes swimming in tears, "I proved them all right. Alex, James, _Kal_ , James…hell, even Eliza. I…I did what I promised you, promised me, promised EVERYONE that I would _never do._ They were all right about me, and I, I…," She took a ragged breath.

"I hurt you, Kara. And I'm, I'm, I'm, so _scared_ I'll never get the chance to make it up to you." Lena's tears fell. Her chest heaved with sorrow. "I don't care how long it takes, I –,"

Kara literally flew over the table and latched onto Lena before she could go any further. "I already forgive you. I…I hurt you so bad Lena. I took your trust in me, both of me, and I dragged it through the mud. No reason can justify how I treated you," Kara spoke into Lena's ravenette locks.

Lena reflexively considered denying Kara's words, but she realised that Kara was right. "Yeah. You did."

Lena pulled slightly away from Kara, realizing the woman was basically on her lap. Both of their faces were flushed. Kara's blue/green eyes were awash with tears. The Kryptonian began to pull away, in shame.

Lena's hand gently caught the back of Kara's neck. Her voice was a little shaky, but that was because her breathing was still uneven. Her tone banished all doubt from Kara's mind. "Supergirl, Kara,…you are my hero in a cardigan and glasses. If you want to know the truth, you've saved my life nearly as often wearing your glasses as you have wearing your blue and crest. You are _still_ my hero, and you always will be. I forgive your lies. I want you back…I, I _need you…_ " her voice grew small and unsure towards the end. "If you'll have me…I don't think I could…are you _disappointed in me_?" Lena's broken whisper escaped as her eyes closed fearing the worst thing she could imagine since… _no, it would be so much worse than Lex_. _I love her so much, I don't know what to do…_

Kara started sobbing. She skipped right over the deluge of tears and went right to the shaking and hard breathing. "Oh Lena," She thought of what to say. The most powerful woman, no, _person_ Kara knew bar none, was an emotional wreck because she thought Kara _wouldn't forgive her_?

 _Another conversation popped up into Kara's head. A different woman Kara loved saying, "I don't know what I'd do if you were disappointed in me…"_

Something in Kara's head clicked. In a mix of terror, friendship, shame, arousal, guilt, and _home_ …Kara Zor El crashed her lips against Lena Luthor's.

Lena and Kara's first kiss wasn't elegant or cute. It was desperate and scared, and hurting, but also tentative and hopeful.

Their running tears, running noses, and sprinting tongues all mashed together.

And Lena's hand tightened, lost amid Kara's mane, her shock lasted a very short while. She knew that if Kara would have her, Lena would never let her beloved Kryptonian out of her heart, and or of her arms.

Kara was Lena's, and Lena was Kara's.

Some time later, they untangled themselves from each other. Kara opened her mouth to say something, and Lena, still dazed from their mutual confirmation of romantic feelings, said, "If you're about to ask about dessert I swear to god…"

Kara, who was equally dazed, couldn't help but pout a little. Lena laughed and laughed. Kara rolled her eyes dramatically, "It's not even like that though!" she said while giggling.

Kara seemed to be thinking something over, but it didn't take her long to reach an internal answer. "How about no more secrets between us? I know that sounds horribly naïve or cliché, but I can't lose you again." Her voice went from joking to somber in a heartbeat. "I didn't tell you I was an alien _or_ that I was Supergirl because you liked me for, well, _me._ I got to be myself with you, even though I was lying. You didn't look at me like I was someone who could break your bones if I got too ecstatic or angry. Because that has happened to people I love before. Even Alex gives me a fearful look every once in a while. And I _deserve it_."

Lena cupped Kara's face at this latest admission. "Would you hurt me on purpose? Physically?"

"Fuck no." Kara almost growled.

Lena didn't even bat her eye at the expletive. "Then why would I look at you differently. The only reason _I_ see to fear you is what you _did_ to me emotionally. It's a kind of hurt that you'd be equally capable of were you as human as I am."

Lena took a steading breath before pushing forward, "And you just confessed a really deep part of your personality whether you realised it or not, in service of _never_ hurting me with secrets again. I don't think we're perfectly back to normal." Lena gave herself and Kara a brief look up and down.

"Hell, I think _normal_ flew out the window a long time ago actually. And we both have _issues_ with each other's behaviour that _one_ talk will not fix, for either of us…even if that this talk culminated in rawest moment of passion in my _life_ ," Lena finished with something that sounded like a purr.

"You're right," Kara agreed. Her hands were on her lap, twisting and seemingly trying to escape each other. "Lena?"

She asked the question with some seriousness. "Yes, Kara?"

"Can I be your girlfriend?" Kara damn near mumbled.

Lena was not expecting that. Despite the evidence of their mutual affection, no, _adoration_ for each other colouring both of their faces scarlett, Lena was still surprised.

"Um, only if I can be yours," was Lena's super-eloquently delivered reply.

Kara's smile lit up the room. In fact, she was levitating. Lena gently put a hand on her knee and Kara settled back down next to Lena.

Lena looked at the girl in front of her, and her eyes started to watter with a different set of tears than before. "Lena?" Kara asked in mild panic. "What is it, are you alright? Did I mess up _already_? Lena?"

Lena started laughing through her tears as she pulled Kara in for a much more tame, but equally meaningful lip lock.

After they softly broke apart, saliva linking their tongues, Lena deigned to speak her mind, as if it was an epiphany, "You just make me so fucking _happy_."

Kara smiled and hugged her new girlfriend. They rocked gently back and forth on their knees, not even feeling the strain on their muscles.

The two women didn't release each other until Vorona entered minutes later with two chocolate soufflés with vanilla gelato on the side.

"Good. You two get your shit together," Vorona intoned with an eyeroll. The two girlfriends both blushed.

"Now you get your hearts in the right place, I want you do me a favour." Vorona asked with what Lena and Kara suspected was genuine concern.

Lena looked at Kara, who shrugged 'why not?', and replied, "What do you need assistance with, Vorona?"

Vorona looked between the two of them, exercising her Kryptonian senses to confirm a few hormone levels as a way of doubly confirming what the pair in front of her felt for each other was mutual. It was. They would make excellent assets to help Maggie in her crisis. They were the Detective's friends as well, and Danvers in particular would be able to speak with her _sister_ in a way Maggie Sawyer couldn't.

Without a deep breath, as if it was the most casual thing in the world, Vorona announced, "I need your help. Sawyer and Elder Danvers may be about to make a love-ending mistake."

* * *

Author's Note: Hello lovely readers!

I can't impress unto you all how much it means that so many of you left such positive feedback on this story. I hint at going in a certain direction at the end of this story. Would you be excited/mildly interested to read it?

Let me know what you thought about this story, this chapter, and whether or not you want a sequel saving Sanvers. (even though i think Sam and Alex are getting kinda cute...not gonna lie)  
I love you all, and bye for now.


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